Court archive
Court reports mentioning Clane, Kildare
2026-07-27 · Monaghan
Simon O'Donovan, a 44-year-old National Museum employee, appeared before the Special Criminal Court at the trial stage, where he was remanded in custody until October 5. O'Donovan is alleged to have knowingly possessed an improvised explosive device on July 22 in Chapelizod, Dublin 10, contrary to the Explosive Substances Act 1883. He remains unrepresented, as his solicitor could not accept instructions due to a legal aid strike. The judge noted that O'Donovan's previous bail application was refused and stated that a second application would require a change of circumstances, such as legal representation. O'Donovan expressed his desire to reapply for bail at the earliest chance. The court indicated that the next procedural step is the service of the book of evidence. In connection with the same investigation, Isobella Perrie Sullivan, a 25-year-old law student, was charged with possession of explosives at a special sitting of Trim District Court. Police alleged that O'Donovan handed a bag containing 394g of Semtex, a timer, and a detonator to Sullivan, who then transported it to Carrickmacross. No plea, finding, or sentence was recorded for either accused at this stage.
2026-07-25 · Dublin
A Dublin man, Simon O'Donovan, has been denied bail following a charge of possession of an explosive device in connection with the alleged discovery of a bomb in a car in Co Monaghan. The court heard that the device was allegedly stored in the National Museum at Collins' Barracks where O'Donovan worked. Gardai believe that if O'Donovan were released on bail, he would engage in acts to further the objectives of the dissident Republican group, the New IRA. O'Donovan was arrested after a car carrying the device was stopped on the N2. The device contained 394g of Semtex, a timer switch, and a viable detonator. Gardai objected to bail, citing the risk of O'Donovan interfering with the investigative process and continuing to engage in IRA operational activity. The court ruled that no bail conditions would allay the concerns of gardai and refused bail. A 25-year-old woman, Isobella Perrie Sullivan, was also charged in relation to the same incident and remanded in custody.
2025-11-06 · Kildare
In a tragic incident at Kildare Chilling Company on 14 May 2020, 54‑year‑old Binak Cokaj, an Albanian national, was inspecting a vacuum‑packing machine when it crushed his head, causing fatal skull fractures and brain injuries. His wife, Shkurte Cokaj, filed a personal injury claim under the Civil Liability Act on behalf of herself and their two 11‑year‑old twin children. The claim alleged negligence, breach of duty and breach of contract by Kildare Chilling Company, Momentum Capital Projects Ltd and Sealed Air Limited, the machine supplier. After mediation, the parties agreed to a €700 000 settlement, including €17.5 k earmarked for each child. The High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Coffey, approved the settlement without admitting liability and approved costs incurred by the plaintiff. The judge described the case as "very tragic.".
2025-10-24 · Kildare
In a case brought under the Employment Equality Act 1998, Swylwia Szuba, a Polish care‑home worker, won €1,800 after her line manager at Hazel Hall Nursing Home in Clane made remarks linking her nationality to a supposedly poorer attitude and compared Polish people to Irish people, calling the latter "nicer and kinder." Szuba, then three months into probation as an activities coordinator, complained that the manager's comments were discriminatory. She raised an informal grievance, received an apology, but the matter was closed without any action against the manager. Later, on 8 April 2024, her probationary employment was terminated on grounds of performance issues. The tribunal found the manager's remarks amounted to racial discrimination and ordered the employer to pay compensation and review its dignity‑at‑work policy within six months. The decision was made by adjudicator Elizabeth Spelman.
2024-02-22 · Kildare
Patricia Kelly, 61, the widow of the late founder of the suicide‑prevention charity Console, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to keep proper books of account as a director between December 2006 and May 2015. The court found that 96 payments totalling €223,000 were traced to accounts controlled by her husband, Paul Kelly, who had died by suicide in 2020. The prosecution could not prove a wilful failure, so no custodial sentence was imposed. Judge Martin Nolan fined Kelly €1,500, to be paid within six months, and disqualified her as a director for five years. The charity, which received €2.03 million from the HSE between 2010 and 2016, is in liquidation and is subject to ongoing civil proceedings by its liquidator. The case highlighted a lack of cooperation with audits and the movement of records offsite. The fine was considered modest given Kelly's limited means and widow's pension.
2023-12-09 · Kildare
Patricia Kelly, 61, widow of the late Paul Kelly, founder of the suicide‑prevention charity Console, pleaded guilty before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of failing to keep books of account as a director of the company, contrary to the Companies Act 1990. She admitted that, other than wilfully, she did not maintain proper records of the company's transactions, which are required to determine its financial position accurately and to allow directors to compile annual accounts and enable proper audit. The offence took place between 6 December 2006 and 21 May 2015. The case was originally scheduled for trial next month, with a potential duration of up to ten weeks, but was adjourned to a sentencing hearing on 20 February 2024, later amended to 22 February 2024, with Ms Kelly remanded on bail until that date.
2023-01-16 · Kildare
Patricia Kelly, 61, widow of the late Paul Kelly, former chief executive of the suicide‑prevention charity Console, has been given a trial date of 11 January 2024 by Justice Patricia Ryan at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. She faces two counts of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering. The first fraudulent trading charge covers the period from 6 December 2006 to 31 May 2015, alleging that she knowingly participated in running Console Suicide Bereavement Counselling Ltd for a fraudulent purpose, misusing the company's property that was meant for its charitable objectives. The second fraudulent trading charge concerns 1 June 2015 to 14 July 2016, alleging the same wrongdoing. The money‑laundering charge covers 1 September 2010 to 1 July 2016, alleging that she concealed the true nature, source, location, disposition, movement or ownership of property of Console Ltd or acted recklessly about whether that property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
2022-11-16 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 20‑year‑old Andrew Hillick and his co‑accused Michael Matthews were found guilty of assault causing harm and robbery after they broke a glass partition in a taxi, punched the driver in the head, kicked him in the ribs, and stole €60 and a mobile phone. The driver suffered a broken nose and other injuries. Both men had no prior convictions. Judge Orla Crowe imposed a two‑year suspended sentence on Hillick, ordering him to engage with the Probation Service for two years, attend all appointments, and undergo a full mental health review. Matthews had previously received a similar suspended sentence. The court noted the teenagers' intoxication and the driver's role as a "blameless member of society" who was simply doing his job. The sentencing reflected concerns about the youths' drug use and the need for rehabilitation rather than custodial punishment.
2022-06-23 · Kildare
Mark Fox, aged 29, was given a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after a high‑speed chase on three tyres. On 9 May 2021, Fox, driving a Nissan Qashqai with a missing fourth wheel, pursued Gardaí through Dublin and two counties, ramming two patrol cars and a garda helicopter. He threw bags of white powder, suspected cocaine, from his open door, accelerated past red lights, and smashed a taxi driver's wing mirror. The chase lasted 30 minutes over 28 km. Fox was found to have almost three times the legal blood‑alcohol limit and was disqualified from driving at the time of the offence. He pleaded guilty to eight charges, including endangerment, dangerous driving, drink driving, driving without a licence and resisting arrest. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspended in full on the basis of Fox's mental‑health problems, and ordered a five‑year driving disqualification.
2022-05-30 · Dublin
The Supreme Court upheld a finding that the 2003 murder conviction of Somali‑born Yusuf Ali Abdi was a miscarriage of justice. Abdi, who had spent 16 years in prison, was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a retrial in 2019 after new psychiatric evidence showed he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the killing of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan. The Court of Appeal had quashed the original conviction and ordered the retrial, which resulted in an acquittal. The Supreme Court, hearing an appeal from the Director of Public Prosecutions, dismissed the appeal and confirmed that Abdi was entitled to a Section 9 certificate for compensation. The decision clarified the legal test for a miscarriage of justice and the role of insanity in criminal liability. The ruling reaffirmed the earlier judgments of the Central Criminal Court and the Court of Appeal.
2022-01-28 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, two 19‑year‑old teenagers, Andrew Hillick and Michael Matthews, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and robbery after attacking a 31‑year‑old taxi driver outside a Garda station on 17 November 2020. The court heard that the teenagers broke the taxi's glass partition, punched and kicked the driver, and stole €60 in cash and his mobile phone. The driver sustained a broken nose, blood on his shirt, and damage to his glasses. Both accused were arrested shortly after the incident; Matthews was found with a broken bottle. The judge noted their lack of prior convictions and significant adversity in their lives, and remanded them on continuing bail until 10 February. The case remains at the pleading stage, with no sentencing yet announced.
2021-12-21 · Dublin
Ali El Taweel, 24, received a four‑year suspended sentence after a series of car crashes during an episode of psychosis linked to an abrupt withdrawal from cannabis. He left a car park without paying, drove against traffic, hit a motorcyclist, collided with two cars, a patrol car, a truck and a taxi, causing injuries to the taxi driver and passenger. He pleaded guilty to two counts of endangerment, driving without insurance, criminal damage and refusing to provide a urine or blood sample. The court noted psychiatric reports and a letter from his father detailing his cannabis dependency and sudden withdrawal. Judge Melanie Greally highlighted his subsequent engagement with mental‑health services, marriage, fatherhood, a law degree and a low risk of re‑offending, and imposed the suspended term on strict conditions, including continued medication compliance and a five‑year driving disqualification.
2021-08-23 · Dublin
In 2021 the Court of Appeal quashed the 2003 murder conviction of Yusuf Ali Abdi, a 48‑year‑old father, and ordered a retrial. The original verdict had been based on a majority of jurors accepting a prosecution psychiatrist's view that Abdi did not suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. In 2019 new evidence showed that Abdi's diagnosis had changed to paranoid schizophrenia, a fact that could have altered the jury's decision. The retrial, held in 2019, resulted in a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice George Birmingham, declared the original conviction a miscarriage of justice, noting that both defence and prosecution experts agreed Abdi was mentally ill at the time of the offence. The case involved the death of Abdi's 20‑month‑old son, Nathan, who suffered fatal head injuries on 17 April 2001. The court found no evidence of prosecutorial irregularity or perjured testimony.
2020-11-04 · Dublin
Patrick Russell, a former barrister aged 57, was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended, for stealing €235,000 from businessman Paul O'Connell. Russell pretended to arrange the purchase of a warehouse in Co Kildare for O'Connell, using forged deeds and false documents to convince the victim to transfer €15,000 and €5,000 to a UK account and an account in his wife's name, and to pay an additional €215,000 to solicitors who believed the documents were genuine. The solicitors and O'Connell's family later reported the fraud to Gardaí. Russell pleaded guilty to the theft in March 2019 and had previously been struck off the bar in 2012 for professional misconduct. The judge noted Russell's limited criminal history, his cardiac condition, and his willingness to restore the stolen sum, but imposed a custodial sentence because he had not made tangible efforts to return the money. The €215,000 remains frozen in AIB.
2020-10-09 · Kildare
The widow of the late founder of the suicide‑prevention charity Console, Patricia Kelly, aged 59, appeared in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 9 October 2020. She was charged with two counts of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering covering a ten‑year period from December 2006 to July 2016. The first fraudulent trading charge alleges that between 6 December 2006 and 31 May 2015 she knowingly participated in running Console Suicide Bereavement Counselling Ltd for a fraudulent purpose, misusing the company's property that was meant for its charitable objectives. The second charge covers 1 June 2015 to 14 July 2016 and repeats the same allegation. The money‑laundering charge alleges that between 1 September 2010 and 1 July 2016 she concealed the true nature, source, location, disposition or ownership of property of Console Ltd or acted recklessly regarding whether that property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
2020-09-02 · Kildare
In September 2020 the Central Criminal Court declared the 2003 murder conviction of Yusif Ali Abdi a miscarriage of justice. Abdi had spent 16 years in prison before the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in February 2019 and ordered a retrial. The retrial found him not guilty by reason of insanity, after evidence that he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. The court granted Abdi leave to seek compensation from the State. The case involved the death of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who was found dead in the living room of their Clane apartment on the night of the killing. The retrial relied on psychiatric testimony that Abdi had been suffering from schizophrenia since 2001, a fact that had not been recognised at the original trial. The court's decision was based on the new diagnosis being a newly‑discovered fact that proved the original verdict was fundamentally wrong. Yusif Ali Abdi was acquitted.
2019-12-20 · Kildare
Yusif Ali Abdi, the appellant, was committed to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) for inpatient care following a retrial at the Central Criminal Court. Abdi, who pleaded not guilty to the 2001 murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. This verdict followed the Court of Appeal quashing his 2003 murder conviction after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. During the retrial, four consultant psychiatrists testified that Abdi suffered from schizophrenia at the time of the incident. Judge Alexander Owens accepted the evidence that Abdi suffers from a mental disorder and ordered his commitment to the CMH, where his condition will be reviewed by the Mental Health Review Board. Abdi's wife, Amanda Bailey, delivered a victim impact statement, stating she always believed her husband could not have known what he was doing. She described the profound grief of losing their son and expressed a sense of peace with the verdict. The court heard that Abdi had previously spent 16 years in prison for the offense. The matter was concluded with the judge's order committing Abdi to the CMH, rather than an adjournment.
2019-12-13 · Dublin
In a retrial held at the Central Criminal Court, Yusif Ali Abdi, aged 46, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who died on 17 April 2001. The original 2003 trial had convicted Abdi of murder after a jury rejected his insanity defence. In 2013 he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a fact that led the Court of Appeal to quash the conviction earlier this year. During the four‑day retrial, psychiatrist Dr Damian Mohan testified that Abdi had shown early signs of the disorder at the time of the offence and that he was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions. The jury deliberated 17 minutes and returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Alexander Owens ordered Abdi to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital and to appear before the court again next Friday.
2019-12-13 · Kildare
Yusif Ali Abdi, 46, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on April 17, 2001. Abdi pleaded not guilty to the charge. The matter is currently at the retrial stage following an appeal in which the Court of Appeal quashed his 2003 murder conviction, citing a newly discovered diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. During closing submissions, defence counsel Barry White SC stated that Abdi had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital on three separate occasions during his detention. White argued that all four expert psychiatrists now agree Abdi was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the killing, rendering him legally insane. Prosecution counsel Seamus Clarke SC contended that the proper verdict is not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury is currently deliberating, with the judge continuing to charge them. No final verdict or sentence has been recorded in this report.
2019-12-12 · Kildare
Yusif Ali Abdi, the appellant, is currently on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on April 17, 2001. Abdi has pleaded not guilty to the charge. His previous murder conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal earlier this year after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. The current proceedings focus on the insanity defence, with the State and defence largely agreeing on the issue. Dr Damian Mohan, a consultant psychiatrist, testified that he now agrees with other experts that Abdi was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence, a view he did not hold during the 2003 trial. Mohan stated that Abdi met the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, as he was unable to refrain from committing the act. This aligns with the testimony of Dr Alex Quinn and Dr Aggrey Washington Burke, who also concluded Abdi fulfilled the criteria for the special verdict. The court heard that Abdi was admitted to the Central Mental Hospital on four occasions between 2001 and 2013 for various psychiatric conditions, including psychotic depression and suicidal ideation. The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury.
2019-12-11 · Kildare
In a 2019 Central Criminal Court hearing, psychiatrist Professor Keith Rix testified that Yusif Ali Abdi, aged 46, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time he killed his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, in April 2001. Rix cited Abdi's reports of hearing voices, disorientation, and belief that his son was a threat, as well as depressive symptoms and post‑traumatic stress indicators noted by doctors in 1998 and 2001. He argued that these symptoms meant Abdi could not appreciate the moral wrongness of his act or refrain from it, satisfying the criteria for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The court had previously rejected Abdi's insanity defence in 2003, but his 2019 appeal led to a retrial based on newly discovered psychiatric evidence. The trial continued the following day before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury. Yusif Ali Abdi was found guilty.
2019-12-11 · Kildare
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that 20-month-old Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali died from head injuries caused by forceful impacts against a hard surface, likely a wall or floor. Consultant Pathologist Professor Jack Crane testified that the toddler's injuries were not accidental and involved at least three or four impacts. Yusif Ali Abdi, 46, pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering Nathan at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare on April 17, 2001. The court heard that Abdi, who was granted refugee status in 2000 and married an Irish woman, had previously been found guilty in 2003 but had his conviction overturned in 2019 due to newly discovered evidence suggesting he may have been legally insane at the time. The trial is ongoing, with the matter currently in the appeal stage. Former Northern Ireland State and Consultant Pathologist Professor Jack are also named as accused, though their charges remain alleged or contested. The case has been adjourned and is not yet concluded.
2019-12-10 · Kildare
In a 2019 retrial, Amanda Bailey, wife of Yusif Ali Abdi, testified that her husband's treatment has been "beyond cruel." She recounted their meeting in 1998, pregnancy in 1999, and marriage to secure his legal status. Bailey described Abdi as a quiet, caring partner who later displayed signs of paranoia and depression after a 2001 arrest and a visit to Africa. She detailed an argument over their son Nathan, during which Abdi threw a phone that cut her lip, and her subsequent refusal to return home until he sought psychiatric help. On the night of Nathan's murder, Bailey heard noises, saw Abdi praying, and found the child pale, blood‑stained, and lifeless. She noted Abdi's denial of mental illness and his accusations of her poisoning him. The prosecution highlighted that Abdi was convicted in 2003, but a 2019 appeal led to a retrial based on newly discovered evidence of early signs of paranoid schizophrenia. Yusif Ali Abdi pleaded not guilty.
2019-12-10 · Kildare
In a 2003 trial at the Central Criminal Court, a psychiatrist who had earlier testified that Yusif Ali Abdi was not suffering from paranoid schizophrenia now stated that Abdi displayed early signs of the condition in 2001. Abdi, a 46‑year‑old Somali refugee, was charged with murdering his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan, on 17 April 2001. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment. The prosecution argued that Abdi's mental health deteriorated after traumatic experiences in Somalia, including the death of his father, and that he became paranoid about Gardaí. Evidence was presented that Abdi had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital from November 2001 until 2003 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. The case was retried in 2019 after a Court of Appeal decision to order a retrial based on newly discovered facts. Yusif Ali Abdi was convicted.
2019-12-09 · Kildare
A 46‑year‑old man, Yusif Ali Abdi of Charleville Road, Phibsboro, Dublin, will stand trial for the murder of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who was killed at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on 17 April 2001. Abdi, wearing a white anorak over a grey suit, pleaded not guilty when arraigned before the Central Criminal Court. The trial, set to begin tomorrow before Mr Justice Alexander Owens, is a restricted form focused on sanity and insanity, with a jury of seven men and five women hearing medical witnesses and two psychiatric consultants.
2019-06-20 · Dublin
Patrick Russell, aged 56, pleaded guilty to stealing €235,000 from businessman Paul O'Connell by posing as an arbitrator and financial consultant. Russell promised to facilitate the purchase of a commercial warehouse for €235,000, but the property was never bought. He obtained €15,000 and €5,000 from O'Connell's bank account, transferred them to a UK account and to an account in his wife's name, claiming they were for stamp duty and fees. O'Connell then paid an additional €215,000 to solicitors who later reported Russell to Gardaí. Russell presented forged documents from the Property Registration Authority to mislead O'Connell and his family. He has nine prior minor traffic convictions, denied theft initially, and pleaded guilty in March. The court adjourned sentencing to November 4, ordered a probation report, and noted Russell's health issues and potential UK employment to repay the remaining €20,000.
2019-02-25 · Kildare
A 46‑year‑old man, Yusuf Ali Abdi of Charleville Road, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, has been charged with murdering his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who was killed at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare on 17 April 2001. Mr Justice Michael White set the trial for 27 May 2019, with the case expected to last one week.
2019-02-13 · Kildare
In 2003, Yusuf Ali Abdi was convicted of murdering his infant son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, and sentenced to life imprisonment. The conviction was based on a jury verdict that rejected his insanity defence, despite medical witnesses for the defence claiming he was a zombie and acted under voices. The prosecution's witnesses, including Dr Damien Mohan, stated Abdi was not psychotic. In 2019, the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction after a 2013 diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, made by a psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, was deemed new evidence that could have affected the trial outcome. The appeal judge, citing the change in diagnosis and Abdi's ongoing mental illness, ruled the conviction unsafe and remanded him for a retrial. The case remains pending before the Central Criminal Court.
2018-10-11 · Kildare
Yusuf Ali Abdi, who murdered his infant son Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali in 2001, was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment. He appealed in 2004 but lost. In 2018 he sought a miscarriage‑of‑justice declaration, arguing that a 2013 diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, made after his conviction, proved the earlier 2003 diagnosis of non‑psychosis by Dr Damien Mohan was erroneous. Abdi's counsel cited psychiatric reviews showing a progression from depression and PTSD to paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder. The Director of Public Prosecutions countered that the 2013 diagnosis was an opinion, not a fact, and that reopening the case would set a dangerous precedent. The Court of Appeal reserved judgment, noting the case raised significant legal questions. The proceedings remain at the appeal stage. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
2017-06-30 · Dublin
The High Court appointed Mr Declan de Lacy of PFK O'Connor, Leddy & Holmes as provisional liquidator for Decobake Limited, a cake‑decorating and baking product company. The appointment followed a request from Dublin City Council (DCC), which sought to wind up the company over an unpaid commercial rates bill of about €102,000. DCC argued that Decobake was insolvent and that a provisional liquidator was needed to protect its assets from being removed from creditors' reach. The court noted that Decobake had offered to pay the rates but DCC rejected the offer. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan declined to set aside the liquidator appointment and said the company could appeal to the Court of Appeal if it wished to vary the order. The liquidator was granted powers to take possession of, control, and identify the company's assets, books, records, and bank accounts.